Today and tomorrow, NASA is releasing the first full-color images taken by the agency’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most powerful observatory ever sent into space. This is a milestone for the telescope, signaling the start of science operations for the mission that could fundamentally transform astrophysics and our understanding of the universe.
The James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, has the largest mirror we’ve ever sent into space, spanning more than 21 feet across. Made of gold-plated beryllium, the mirror is designed to collect infrared light, a type of light invisible to the human eye that can travel incredibly long distances in the universe. Equipped with this impressive mirror, JWST should be able to peer into the deepest reaches of space, capturing light from the first stars and galaxies that formed just after the Big Bang.
It’s been a particularly long road to get to this point
However, the road to this point was particularly long. JWST has been under development for the past two and a half decades, with its journey continually marred by delays. Its budget also ballooned to nearly $10 billion, and controversy swirled around its namesake. But finally, on Christmas Day 2021, the telescope launched intact and as planned. Over the past six months, scientists and engineers have precisely positioned, adjusted and calibrated the telescope, preparing it to reveal the first incredible images taken by the telescope.
Now JWST is about to begin its first year of studying the cosmos, which is full of observations from scientists around the world who want to study distant star formations, galaxies, exoplanets and much more. These photos are just the beginning and just a teaser of the exciting images yet to come.
What time will NASA release the JWST images?
Things kick off this afternoon at the White House. For weeks, NASA had planned to release all the images on the morning of July 12, but over the weekend the agency surprised everyone by adding a last-minute White House briefing on July 11 at 5:00 PM ET. Now, President Joe Biden will unveil one of the images first this afternoon, with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson delivering remarks.
Scheduled Time: New York: 5:00pm / San Francisco: 2:00pm / London: 10:00pm / Berlin: 11:00pm / Moscow: 12:00pm / New Delhi: 2:30am / Beijing: 5:00am / Tokyo : 6:00 / Melbourne: 7:00
How about the rest of the photos?
NASA has scheduled a series of briefings on July 12 to release the remaining images. First, at 9:45 a.m. ET, there will be opening remarks from NASA leadership and the JWST team. Then, at 10:30 a.m. ET, NASA is scheduled to reveal the remaining images during a live broadcast, which will be followed by a media press conference at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center at 12:30 p.m. ET. It’s going to be a content-packed day, but if you just want to see the rest of the images, 10:30am ET is the time to tune in.
Scheduled Times: New York: 10:30 AM / San Francisco: 7:30 AM / London: 3:30 PM / Berlin: 4:30 PM / Moscow: 5:30 PM / New Delhi: 8:00 PM 00:00 / Beijing: 22:30 / Tokyo: 23:30 / Melbourne: 00:30
How can I watch the image launch?
NASA will broadcast live on its dedicated channels, including NASA TV, which can be found on YouTube and the NASA website. The release will also be broadcast on the NASA app, as well as on NASA’s social channels on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Twitch and Dailymotion.
Where can I catch up on the JWST journey?
We’ve been covering the preparations for the JWST launch for years. Check out some of our past coverage below:
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